A fascinating novel on the story of the only Queen of Haiti, Marie-Louise Coidavid who became Queen when her husband Henry I became King of Haiti after the Haitian Revolution. We follow Queen Louise starting in London in 1821 with her two daughters and one man servant and one female servant where she discovers the jewels she was able to sneak out of Haiti had been stolen—jewels that were necessary to help provide housing and a lifestyle fit for royalty. After reclaiming most of her jewels and the money that was owed to her she continues to live and follow other royalty as they sought the warmer climates in Europe in winter. The story is composed of chapters with the date and place they would travel keeping in mind they were always in search of a place where her younger daughter could overcome her illness. This was a bit difficult to follow with different time periods. How she and her daughter had to escape Haiti appears in one of these chapters. Vanessa Riley has thoroughly researched the life and time of this brave Black woman and I completely enjoyed her Afterword and Bibliography. A book that is deserving to be read for its historical importance. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC of this book; this is my honest review.

The Glimmer of Gems

Vanessa Riley explores the historical landscape of 1800’s Hayti, to tell the indomitable story of Queen Marie-Louise Coidavid. The story of the Queen of Exiles begins in 1821, as Queen Marie-Louise Coidavid flees with her two daughters to England after the Haitian Revolution. In fear of her future, Louise holds on to her dignity and strength to overcome the many prejudices facing black women during her time.

Louise reflects on the many remarkable events of her life, often skipping through time. The reader follows Louise’s train-of-thought as she contemplates her past life as it affects her future. Vanessa Riley’s attention to the details of Louisa’s family and history, give depth to an otherwise quiet narrative. As Louise is an introspective woman. Throughout the book there are snippets of newspaper clippings. Each covering Louise’s life from 1811, the year before she is crowned queen, through 1847. This is a story of how Louise struggles to comes to terms with the loss of her family, as the freedom of Hayti is lost. As well as her current struggle to share her story with the newspaper reporter David Michelson.

Louise is described as “unassuming and composed,” but she is more than just that. She is wise to the events that shaped her life, loyal to her husband and country, a loving mother, and enduring woman. Vanessa Riley writes about Louise’s strong heart, as she seeks to be worthy of Hayti, and those who rely on her. From beginning to end, through all of her struggles, Queen Marie-Louise Coidavid is an inspiring woman. With a story that should be known, and shared.

Family First

Queen of Exiles had a slow start with, over 50 characters making it a slow read.
Haiti has had only one Queen we know her as Queen Marie-Louise Coidavid-Melgrim Christophe.
As the Haitian Revolution is coming to an end Marie and her daughters were exiled, only to live as Royals all over Europe. No matter the obstacles place in front of them they never gave up.
I enjoyed reading about Baden-Baden, Germany where we were once stationed back in the 60's.

I thoroughly enjoyed this historical functional account of Marie-Louise Christophe who ruled over Haiti. Freedom is not easy to come by or to maintain, and in this account we see the struggles of the people who are besieged with debt and indifference. The real hero/heroine is, of course, Louise.
The author did an excellent job in presenting this original and historically sound story. I recommend it for your reading pleasure.

This is the first book of Vanessa Riley's that I was unable to finish.
The beginning of the book did not hold my interest, therefore I could not gain momentum to continue reading it.
I was hoping that it would pick up within the first 100 pages, however it did not and I gave up.

I am sure others will love this book and I hope that they do.

I am looking forward to Ms. Riley's next book in the future.

Early 1800's Haiti was a self-declared kingdom after defeating the French in a battle for the island which wanted to be a non-slave trading kingdom. King Henry and Queen Louise were the island's leaders for this short-lived kingdom. We see the rise to this kingdom and the royal era as well as the exile of the queen and her daughters who lived in England (who was helped by William Wilberforce), Germany and finally in Italy. She was beloved by many and kept up with her homeland through the newspapers and her sisters who continued to visit her.

Although Vanessa Riley's writing is beautiful, the book felt too long to me. I was fascinated to learn a piece of history I had never known anything about and it kept me returning to the internet to find out more, see images of the king and queen, and videos from historians who traced her life in Europe.

My thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins for an advanced copy of this e-book.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Vanessa Riley has crafted another engrossing epic historical novel with Queen of Exiles. Somewhat of a follow-up to Riley’s previous historical, Sister Mother Warrior, the two stories both follow major figures in the monarchical history of Haiti, with this book following Marie-Louise Christophe, Queen of Haiti, who also played a minor role in the previous book. Like with Sister Mother Warrior, I enjoyed learning more beyond the broad strokes about Haiti’s initial fight for independence and establishing their own government, and I didn’t know it took a few tries at monarchy before they ultimately became a republic.
It was fascinating to see Louise’s life reimagined, and all the amazing things she lived through. From being Queen consort, and dealing with her husband’s deteriorating mental state to life in exile after the monarchy was overthrown and she lost him to suicide, and all the adventures she and her family had afterward, even as she dealt with a lot of scrutiny from the press (when has this not been the case for Royals and public figures?!). It was fascinating to read about the opulence of their lives and the doors that opened for them, in spite of their color, and it’s unfortunate (yet not surprising) that stories like hers are not more well-known and taught.
The book is long, and it does fall into the category of semi-fictionalized biographical/ historical narrative over pure historical fiction. However, Riley’s approach largely kept me engaged. I will say that the choice to tell the story out of order did confuse me at times, especially as there were three time periods, the 1810s, the 1820s, and then 1847, all scattered about the story indiscriminately. There is some rhyme and reason to the structure, but I can see how some people might get a little lost as the story goes back and forth between these different periods of time.
This is another brilliant story from Vanessa Riley, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for biographical historical fiction about lesser known Black women.

Vanessa Riley has written another wonderfully interesting and deeply researched multiple timeline novel. The story of Queen Marie-Louise Coidavid of Haiti was one I had never heard of and I'm so glad that Riley has introduced me to her and her life story. Marie-Louise navigates the precarious political situation in Haiti after it has gained independence, as well as delicate family relationships. In the later timelines, Marie-Louise manages her life (with her daughters) as exiled royals throughout Europe. I am always looking for untold stories of women in history, so this hit my sweet spot and Riley always strikes a great balance between interesting and memorable characters and placing us solidly in the historical world they inhabit. Highly recommend!

The author shares the incredible journey of the first and last Queen of Hayti. An untold story that deserves to be shared and now we can learn of the life and legacy of Queen Louise and how she made a life for herself and her daughters after her husband was overthrown.

I’m not usually a historical fiction reader, but I found myself absolutely loving this novel! I feel as though the author wrote it in a way that not only helped me further learn history through the Queen’s eyes as well as keeping me intrigued!

Transportive storytelling.

This impeccably researched and beautifully written novel brings to life the remarkable journey of Marie-Louise Christophe, wife and then widow of Henry I, who defied all odds to become the queen of the newly liberated Kingdom of Hayti.

Riley delves into the tumultuous era of the Haitian Revolution and its aftermath. As Marie-Louise assumes the crown and her husband's mental health deteriorates, the challenges she faces are manifold. From navigating political turmoil and mountains of debt to combating indifference from former allies, she emerges as a fierce and resilient leader determined to secure a better future for her people—even in exile.

Riley's meticulous attention to historical detail is evident, as she vividly depicts the struggles, triumphs, and heartbreaks faced by Marie-Louise and her daughters. The depth of emotion infused into the narrative allows readers to empathize with the characters' joys, sorrows, and inner conflicts. The jewelry, costumes, glittering balls, and opulent courts of Europe are expertly described.

The contrasts between the European world and their Haitian roots provide a thought-provoking exploration of identity, race, and the limitations imposed by a male-dominated society. This type of nuance is what readers have come to anticipate and appreciate about Vanessa Riley’s work.

Marie-Louise became the first (and only) Queen of Haiti in the early nineteenth century. Then, like most queens, she endured struggle after struggle, including her husband’s suicide and her own exile to Europe.

This is a sweeping historical saga with exceptional characters — I loved Louise to bits by the end. Her story is so unique and SUCH a breath of fresh air in the historical fiction genre, and I hope we get to see more from Vanessa Riley ASAP. I know that I plan to read her backlog after finishing this lovely story!

Thank you to Vanessa Riley, William Morrow, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy.

Based on Queen Marie-Louise Coidavid, who was the first and only queen of Haiti. She and her daughters were exiled to England after the Haitian revolution. In England and all over Europe they lived the life of Royal Exiles despite their color. They attended balls, were courted, and visited spas. Queen Louise was a very strong woman, who endured many obstacles in her life and kept going.

A riveting story about Haiti's first and only Queen! I am so glad that Vanessa Riley continues to shine a light on Caribbean history that isn't so anglocentric. She is one of the best voices in historical fiction in this decade! Thank you for writing these stories that break the historical fiction genre out of the medieval and regency ruts it has been stuck in.

I enjoyed this historical women’s fiction exploring black women in the early 1800s. The story brought awareness and dealt with the reality that happened. It did start off a little slow but once the story took off its was very fulfilling.

Vanessa Riley is a master of the historical fiction genre. The depth with which she delves into the Haitian revolution and its aftermath is absolutely amazing to see. In her hands, the life of Queen Mari-Louise, the one and only queen of Haiti, comes alive. From her struggles with her husband, King Henry Christophe, to her exile and parenting, we really get a full picture of a complex woman.

Riley also demonstrates the wonders that fiction can do when handling historical subjects, especially in such expert hands. Riley takes what we know via documents and then fills in the gaps in ways that this historian is frankly jealous of.

One of the interesting things that Riley has been playing with in her historical fiction is shifts in time. In Ialand Queen and Sister Mother Warrior, those shifts worked beautifully for me. Here, I struggled a bit more with those shifts because we are following three different timelines. Most of the time, they did work, but there were a couple of times in which the sequence of events became confusing. Each chapter is clearly labeled, so this might not be a problem for other readers, but it was for me.

This is a must-read for all historical fiction lovers and for anyone who likes Riley's work, as I do. I am excited to see how she continues to innovate in the genre and give us such beautiful stories and history.

"Acclaimed historical novelist Vanessa Riley is back with another novel based on the life of an extraordinary Black woman from history: Haiti's Queen Marie-Louise Coidavid, who escaped a coup in Haiti to set up her own royal court in Italy during the Regency era, where she became a popular member of royal European society.

The Queen of Exiles is Marie-Louise Christophe, wife and then widow of Henry I, who ruled over the newly liberated Kingdom of Hayti in the wake of the brutal Haitian Revolution.

In 1810 Louise is crowned queen as her husband begins his reign over the first and only free Black nation in the Western Hemisphere. But despite their newfound freedom, Haitians still struggle under mountains of debt to France and indifference from former allies in Britain and the new United States. Louise desperately tries to steer the country's political course as King Henry descends into a mire of mental illness.

In 1820, King Henry is overthrown and dies by his own hand. Louise and her daughters manage to flee to Europe with their smuggled jewels. In exile, the resilient Louise redefines her role, recovering the fortune that Henry had lost and establishing herself as an equal to the kings of European nations. With newspapers and gossip tracking their every movement, Louise and her daughters tour Europe like other royals, complete with glittering balls and princes with marriage proposals. As they find their footing - and acceptance - they discover more about themselves, their Blackness, and the opportunities they can grasp in a European and male-dominated world.

Queen of Exiles is the tale of a remarkable Black woman of history - a canny and bold survivor who chooses the fire and ideals of political struggle, and then is forced to rebuild her life on her own terms, forever a queen."

I recently read about the Haitian revolution so this is a perfect book to pair with my previous reading.

A must read for fans of Mike Duncan’s Revolutions Podcast who want to know what happened after the Revolution to the women at the highest echelons of society through the eyes of a Queen. Also good for fans of Bridgerton and are waiting anxiously for Queen Charlotte’s story,